AUTOPIA

Milton Keynes, one of England's most modern cities, has had a close relationship with the car ever since its creation 50 years ago. Designed with utopian principals in mind, it is the only place in the UK built on a complete grid road system. Formed by a complex set of avenues, dual carriageways and roundabouts, the grid allows the uninterrupted movement of cars throughout the city. The grid is comprised of 11 roads running from north to south, and 10 running from east to west. The roads have individual names but are also called V and H roads (vertical and horizontal).

To mark the 50th anniversary of Milton Keynes, 8 photographers from the MAP6 collective visited the city, to create a collaborative piece of work to be exhibited at the MK Gallery. For the project, I walked around the periphery of the Milton Keynes grid using an A-Z map, a distance of approximately 30 miles. I was curious to experience walking in a city fundamentally designed with cars in mind, and to discover the places at the edge of the grid. Having just 72 hours in Milton Keynes, the performative act of completing the walk was my principal concern. I made photographs to document my walk, and to consider how cars have shaped the modern landscape and have become an indispensable part of our everyday lives.